Tell us about yourself.
Hi, I’m Layla, a second year medical student from London. At Cambridge, the course is six years long and is split into three years of pre-clinical and clinical studies. My first year of the preclinical school mainly involved lectures, labs and dissection. Outside of my studies, I enjoy being on the river, cooking and most importantly eating.
What got you into your subject?
Throughout school I always enjoyed science based subjects, so I knew that I would probably apply for a STEM subject at university. However, following GCSEs I was quite torn between studying Natural Sciences (NatSci) or Medicine at university until I did some work experience. I did a placement at a lab, and I really enjoyed learning the theory behind the project, but realised I prefer being in a clinical environment. After following a few doctors at my local hospital, I realised that medicine was a much more natural choice for me. I was really lucky and got to scrub in during a C-section, and ever since I’ve been hooked! What I really like about the course at Cambridge is that there’s an emphasis scientific understanding. This meant that I still got to experience some aspects of NatSci – so I basically got the best of both worlds!
What do you do outside of studying?
Outside of studying, I mostly row. During the first term of first year, I joined the novice boat and despite the early mornings, I quickly grew to really enjoy the sport. I found that the boat club is very inclusive and not all about fitness. Like all of Selwyn it’s friendly and a great place to make friends with events such as boatie BBQ or Boat Club Dinner (a formal dinner with all the rowers at the end of each term). This term I’m going to be a Lower Boat Captain (LBC) so I’ll be coaching the women’s novice boats and teaching them how to a row, a position I was in a short time ago! When I’m not on the river or talking about rowing, I like to catch up with friends over a meal at hall, or with a cup of tea back in my gyp (kitchen). The gyps at Selwyn are well equipped for cooking and are a great social space for general procrastination.
What do you like about Selwyn?
One of my favourite things about Selwyn is the strong sense of community. We have a really tight-knit group of medics and vets, which means that there’s always someone you can turn to for a bit of support or guidance. Also, we have a great MedVetSoc that run several events throughout term, including swaps with other colleges (going to another college for a formal dinner), pizza nights and garden parties in summer. There’s always something going on here – so you really can never get bored! In addition, what I really like about Cambridge is the collegiate system – it’s great to be surrounded by people that do different subjects and have different interests.